Motherwell

Jane Lewis
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell has been spoking to the media before this weekend's Premier match against St Johnstone.

Here are the key points:

• On incoming transfers, he’s hoping to do some business, saying: "We'll continue to work away to see if there's anything we can do to try and help us bring a different profile to our group."

• But if he doesn’t add to the squad the Fir Park boss says he’s happy with the group he has.

• One or two of the younger players may go out on loan to get game-time.

• Not expecting any late bids for Lennon Miller, who’s been linked to a variety of clubs.

• Kettlewell is pleased performances have been getting better, but is not getting carried away with the weekend win over Hearts. The aim is now to build upon that performance.

• Believes he has a good foundation to build from and his team "can be a handful for any teams".

• Says there’s a great spirit in the dressing room, and he has a good blend of experience and young players that bring a really good dynamic.

• Says St Johnstone will be a "different test", one he wants to win.

• Andy Halliday who came off against Hearts, should be okay, but no players are ready to return from the long-term injury list.

Image source, SNS

Motherwell are keen to add more signings before the end of the transfer window, chief executive Brain Caldwell confirms.

The Fir Park side have already brought in 13 fresh faces this summer, but a number of long-term injuries has limited Stuart Kettlewell's options.

CEO Caldwell says the club are "trying to progress things" on targets prior to Friday night's deadline.

"Stuart would like one or two more in, hopefully we can land them," Caldwell added.

"We have been hit with a number of injuries, if we get a couple more we could be down to bare bones a bit.

"Anything that strengthens the team, to keep us going to the next window, is worth looking at."

Jenna Thomson
Fan writer

A 3-1 win over Hearts could prove to be a monumental result for Motherwell over the course of the season.

The Tynecastle side may be in a bit of a slump, but I would never have predicted what unfolded on Sunday.

Paul McGinn embraced his past as a Hibs player and made sure he got the first goal, but seeing Stephen O'Donnell score the second hit different.

Sod gets the blame and becomes a scapegoat frequently and unfairly, but it is hard to picture a Motherwell side without him now.

Having been with us since 2020, he will have given six years' service by the end of his deal and the day he departs will be a sad one.

Personally, I’m campaigning for a lifetime contract and a statue after Sunday's events!

Tom Sparrow going on to seal the three points only enhanced what was our best performance of the season.

If we can continue generating results like this, Hampden could be calling with a League Cup quarter-final on the way against Dundee United next month.

Image source, SNS

Motherwell forward Tawanda Maswanhise has been called up to Zimbabwe's squad for next month's Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers with Kenya and Cameroon.

Maswanhise, 21, has three senior caps and has played twice since joining Motherwell from Leicester City in August.

Zimbabwe visit Kenya on 6 September then host Cameroon on 10 September.

Maswanhise and his international team-mates will report for camp in Kampala, Uganda on Sunday, a day after Motherwell's Scottish Premiership match away to St Johnstone.

Image source, SNS

Stuart Kettlewell hopes Sunday's "strong performance" against Hearts will breed confidence in his Motherwell side.

The three points stayed at Fir Park with goals from Paul McGinn, Stephen O'Donnell and Tom Sparrow comfortably seeing off the Gorgie side.

And while delighted with the showing and result, the manager is still searching for more.

"The result is the most important thing but it came with a real strong performance," Kettlewell said. "That’s what we need to look like as a Motherwell team.

"The set-plays were important for us but I thought in general our play was pretty good and I still think it can be better.

"I am always going to want more and the reason I say that is I think we will have that in our group through time, with players coming back from injury and the potential to potentially freshen one or two things up this week as we draw a close to the transfer window.

"The players need to come away with a lot of confidence off the back of today."

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

Motherwell were superb at Fir Park on Sunday as they beat Hearts 3-1 in the Scottish Premiership, and they have two players in my Team of the Week.

Ewan Wilson has been earning praise down the left for Motherwell and produced probably his best performance of the season against Hearts. One superb block in particular helped earn extra praise from his manager at full-time. He is a 19-year-old with a big future.

Another one with a big future in the game is Lennon Miller. Motherwell's brightest talent celebrated his 18th birthday against Hearts with two assists. He does everything on a football pitch with quality and assurance and is becoming ever more impactful with his contributions.

Watch highlights from Motherwell's win over Hearts in the Scottish Premiership.

Available to UK users only.

We asked you for your thoughts following Motherwell's win against Hearts.

Here's what you had to say:

Alan: Motherwell dominated from start to finish and fully deserved the win.

Col: Motherwell played with a far higher tempo which was the major difference from last week’s disappointing performance. Still not sure Kettlewell knows his best team yet, as so many players, especially forwards, are out injured.

Derek: Best performance of the season? Best performance in a lot longer than that at Fir Park. Exemplary from start to finish from every player today. Wilson and Miller were superb, belying their tender years.

James: Tremendous. Some pace on the wing and created lots of chances. What an improvement. Fighting for every ball and never stopped. Please keep it up 🙏

Ian: From the 20th to the 65th minute Motherwell played their best tactically and technically in a long while. A few hairy moments but in general defensively solid. It's a bit ironic that after signing so many new front men it's defenders that score the first two goals.

Motherwell midfielder Lennon Miller talks to BBC Scotland after he helped the Fir Park side to a 3-1 win over Hearts in the Scottish Premiership.

Motherwell picked up their first victory of the new Premiership season, punishing sloppy Hearts at Fir Park.

Headed goals from Paul McGinn and Stephen O'Donnell, both from set-pieces, undid Steven Naismith's side, who looked particularly shaky at the back.

Yutaro Oda got one back for the visitors, before Tom Sparrow intercepted an under-hit backpass to fire in a third and restore the hosts' two-goal advantage.

What did you think of that, Motherwell fans? Was that the best performance of the season?

Has Stuart Kettlewell found his strongest XI?

Let us know your thoughts., external

Image source, SNS

Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell told BBC Scotland: "My side were excellent today. They executed the game plan to a tee. We are pretty consistent with what we try and do but we alter it.

"There are those non-negotiables, though. They were there in spades today and that makes me proud. It was a Motherwell performance and I want to rubber stamp that.

"Our energy was great, we were on the front foot and we were unbelievably comfortable defensively. I'm delighted we finished strong and we were deserving of the three points.

"There were so many good individual performances out there. It's only one performance though, that's all it is."

Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

Image source, SNS

It was a tough pre-season for Stuart Kettlewell as bodies dropped all around, but he looks to have recruited a gem in Leicester loanee Maswanhise.

They have struggled to create in the opening few weeks but the Zimbabwe international was a real threat on the left-hand side, giving Gerald Taylor a torrid time as he cut in to shoot with his right.

Perhaps he has been the missing piece all this time?

At the back, Motherwell looked really solid and Liam Gordon has been a fantastic addition from St Johnstone in the summer. Dan Casey and Paul McGinn look astute next to him in the back-three. Miller, on his 18th birthday, commanded the midfield. Ewan Wilson has adapted well to Premiership football.

A little bit of confidence goes a long way and there is suddenly a positive feeling around Fir Park after two good results.

Image source, SNS

Lennon Miller. The birthday boy. 18 years young but played with the experience and presence of a player far older.

Nabbed two assists. No one created more chances (five) or made more tackles (three). He also won six of his seven duels.

A special talent. How long can Motherwell hold onto him?

Image source, SNS

Motherwell: Oxborough, O'Donnell, Casey, Gordon, McGinn, Wilson, Zdravkovski, Halliday, Miller, Maswanhise, Robinson.

Substitutes: Hegyi, Seddon, Balmer, Sparrow, Kaleta, Ebiye, Wells, Ferrie, Watt.

Hearts: Gordon, Kingsley, Kent, Rowles, Taylor, Spittal, Boateng, Salazar, Forrest, Dhanda, Shankland.

Substitutes: Clark, Halkett, Oyegoke, Grant, McKay, Oda, Devlin, Boyce, Vargas.

Image source, SNS

Stuart Kettlewell insists Scotland is the perfect place for young players to "ply their trade".

The ML1 side welcome Hearts to Fir Park on Sunday as they continue to search for their first win of the season.

"There are some lads that haven't thought about Scotland and probably entirely see their future in England," he said.

"But sometimes when you can show them the platform that's here, the quality, the competition, the experiences of playing in big venues against big clubs and really good players, it's my job to try and sell that.

"Every manager in Scotland will be trying to do the same thing.

"Sometimes they don't necessarily see themselves playing here. That's no disrespect, it's just potentially some advice from families, former players, former team-mates, agents etc.

“But it's my job to sell this football club and this league. We will all have a sales pitch when we speak to players and mine is very much centred around what I believe, that the top flight in Scotland is a brilliant place to ply your trade, and especially for young players."

Image source, SNS

Motherwell forward Filip Stuparevic is back in training after a hamstring problem, but Apostolos Stamatelopoulos (thigh), Callum Slattery, Sam Nicholson, Shane Blaney (all knee), Harry Paton (ankle), Ross Callachan (hamstring) and Johnny Koutroumbis (calf) remain out.

Hearts are without midfielders Calem Nieuwenhof (hamstring) and Beni Baningime (knee), who are both set to be sidelined until September.

Image source, SNS

Steve Seddon believes the dressing room environment has helped make his move to Motherwell a smooth one.

The left-back joined from Oxford United on a one-year deal in July and has already slotted into the Fir Park side in recent weeks.

Something which has been easy for the 26-year-old due to the lack of egos in the squad.

"It's a positive place to be," Seddon said as he previewed Motherwell's weekend meeting with Hearts.

"Credit to all the boys who were here last year and have been here a while, they're all great lads and they're all welcoming which definitely makes it easier for all of us."

Seddon was eager to play north of the border and now he's here, he's clear in his goals.

"For me personally, I just want to play as much as I can, help the team out as much as I can and for the team to finish as high up as we can, with hopefully a cup run here and there.

"We've got willing to work, which I think is important. I've been in teams where I think they probably have an ego at the start of the season, which leads to a bad start, but I think here, there are no egos.

"It's very much the whole team is willing to work, we all know why we're here and I think that is important."

Image source, SNS

Stuart Kettlewell is still on the hunt for players who will get "punters off their seats" as the Motherwell manager applauded the impact of his recent recruits.

Tawanda Maswanhise signed just over an hour before kick-off on Sunday and provided the assist for Moses Ebiye's winner against Kilmarnock.

Tony Watt too appeared from the bench too for his second debut for the club, while Kettlewell could also have attacker Filip Stuparevic back from a hamstring problem for Saturday’s Premiership encounter with Hearts.

However, with striker Apostolos Stamatelopoulos still missing along with midfielders Callum Slattery, Harry Paton, Ross Callachan and Sam Nicholson, plus defenders Shane Blaney and Johnny Koutroumbis, Kettlewell has not ruled out adding to his 13 summer arrivals.

"We need to give ourselves as many quality options as we possibly can,” he said. "Everyone who comes here has to offer something and ensure they are bringing a specific quality.

"I feel the two new faces that we saw at the weekend bring a different dimension to our team and that’s what I have been looking to achieve.

"And if the right thing comes up again we might be able to add another one or so in amongst that as well.

"We have kind of always had that up our sleeve, we have always had the ability to do that. Yes, the plan alters slightly but it’s not ripped up.

"But it has been difficult with the shortage of options and in particular at the top end of the pitch, that creative mode that every team needs to break the opposition down, to carry a threat and get punters off their seat.

"We showed we had a little bit of that last weekend on top of what we already had, and between now and seven days’ time we will be looking to see if there’s one that might make things better again."

Image source, SNS

• After winning four successive home league games against Heart of Midlothian from February 2019 to May 2022, Motherwell have since lost two of their last three against Hearts (W1).

• Hearts have won both of their last two league games against Motherwell, last winning three in a row in February 2017.

• Motherwell have won just one of their last seven home league games (D3 L3), including a goalless draw with Ross County on the opening day of the 2024-25 Scottish Premiership – they last failed to win either of their first two home games of a top-flight campaign in 2020-21 (D1 L1).

• Heart of Midlothian have won just a point from their opening two league games this season (D1 L1) and could go winless across their opening three games of a Scottish Premiership campaign for the first time since their relegation season in 2019-20 (D1 L2).

• Lawrence Shankland has scored six goals in his last seven Scottish Premiership appearances against Motherwell and against no side has he scored more often in the competition (also 6 v Celtic, Ross County and St. Johnstone).

• All 12 Premiership sides provided a total of 15,101 minutes to Scottish players aged under 21 in the 2023-24 season.

• Those minutes average out to just 1,258 per club, which is the equivalent of only 14 full 90-minute matches.

• Six teams failed to reach a total above 700 minutes.

• Celtic and Rangers were the worst offenders in the division, with Celtic managing just 89 minutes all in, while Rangers' total was even lower at only 26.

A lack of first-team action given to youngsters in the Premiership backs up the Scottish FA's assertion that Scotland is not bringing through enough emerging talent.

Just three of the 12 top-flight teams are able to say they provided over 2,000 minutes to Scots aged under 21 across last season's pre-split fixtures.

Dundee sit top of the 2023-24 table with 3,538, but a large chunk of that was clocked up by the one player - Lyall Cameron.

The same applies to the three next best clubs on the chart, Aberdeen (Connor Barron), Kilmarnock (David Watson) and Motherwell (Lennon Miller).

At the bottom of the table are both Old Firm clubs, with the pair posting concerning figures - Celtic just 89 minutes and Rangers only 26.

The report uses Hungary's top flight - a 12-team league - as a direct comparison. It shows Honved provided 6,544 minutes to Hungarian under-21 players, PAFC reached more than 5,000 and two more clubs achieved over 3,000.

Click here to read more on how Scottish football is failing young players.

Image source, SNS

Motherwell and Dundee United's League Cup quarter-final at Fir Park will take place on Friday, 20 September.

The match kicks off at 19:45 BST and will be live on Premier Sports.

Steve Kettlewell's side edged out 10-man Kilmarnock 1-0 in extra time in the last 16 on Sunday while Dundee United beat St Mirren by the same scoreline.